this kid is not two years old yet. tiger will be replaced. watch out he swings. he's not just two yet. look at the putt. >> greg: that is actually a 40-year-old midget. >> bob: that is unbelievable. this is owen kapinsky of addison, illinois. he and his father practice three to five times a week at p.g.a. superstore. the kid is going to be, i mean, if you could do, that i play golf. if you do that, at that age. not two years old yet. >> dana: hope he is not like the other child stars. >> eric: great to have you back. >> greg: i am feeling better. i was sick for a while. i had to visit my mother. >> bob: how is your mother feeling? >> greg: all right. hi, mom. >> bob: hi, mom. >> dana: how did your fellow

passengers feel about being on the airplane with you? >> greg: i was cordoned off. >> eric: we have to say goodbye. thank you for watching. see you tomorrow. >> bret: this is a fox news alert. i'm bret baier in washington. at least three americans are among hostages held at this hour by islamic militants in algeria tonight. the kidnappings are apparently out growth of western intervention in mali. we have fox team coverage. we begin in london where greg palkot has the latest. >> there is a standoff going on in a veeria. algeria security is on one side. al-qaeda linked militants on the other. foreigners, including americans, caught in the middle. >> this is a target, the first dangerous fall-out from a french military operation against islamists in mali.

natural gas complex in algeria, attacked by the al-qaeda linked militants today. two people were reportedly killed including one citizen. dozens of foreigners were kidnapped including three americans taken hostage. >> the best information we have at this time is that the u.s. citizens are among the hostages. i hope you understand to protect their safety i won't get in to numbers. >> they could not ensure the hostages' safety. he is accused of smuggling across africa as a key figure in al-qaeda at islam. he and others left from northern mali crossing to libya before the attackbe in algeria. >> this is basically this must

have been well-thought out action. >> they put them in combat with the islamicbe rebels in the town northeast of the capital. this is as the officials monitor the situation and work through the legal hurdles to provide logistical assistance and transportation. french airstrikes have softened up the rebel stronghold but the official admit militants prove to be tough foes. >> they are reacting and putting up a strong defense. it's much more than anticipated. >> there are reports that some hostages have been freed but claim that they repelled an attempt by algerian security to free the rest. people who know the militants say proceed with caution. bret? >> bret: greg palkot live in london. thank you now. find out what the american military is doing about all of this.

national security correspondent jennifer griffin is live at the pentagon. jennifer,be i guess defense secretary leon panetta was asked about the americans taken hostage in algeria while he was in rome today. what did he say about it? >> well, he was quick to call it an actbe of terrorism. he said, "by all indications this is a terrorist actbe. the united states condemns the terrorists acts. it's a serious matter when americans are taken hostage along with others and i want to ensure the american people the united states will take all necessary and proper steps that are required to deal with this situation." it seems the administration learned its lesson from benghazi. so far no, u.s. assets have been moved in to help. unlike last september the consulate was attacked now they have the own commander and extremis source. a group of several cousin operators for the situation. i'm told they are standing by awaiting the president's orders. bret?

>> bret: we heard in greg's report a group claiming responsibility headed by the algerian born jihadist. what more do we know aboutbe him and his connection to this mali operation. >> they call him muktar in his 40s and lost an eye fighting in afghanistan. the french have been watching him for some time. they call him mr. marlboro because he finances his al-qaeda wing by smuggling cigarettes and diamonds. he split from aqim in october. he formed a splinter group called the masked ones. he has a group of fighters behind him. he has fought in libya in the past. >> we'll follow this and head back for breaking news.

president obama said society's first obligation is to protect the children. today he revealed what he wants to do to fight gun violence and school shooting in particular. combination of legislation in congress and executive orders and actions that do not go through congress. ed henry has specifics. >> reporter: repeatedly invoking the children killed in newtown. >> 20 beautiful first graders gunned down. >> obama and biden unveiled the most sweeping gun control in american history with four kids who had written the president seeking me form and the parents of grace mcdonald, murdered in connecticut. >> i think about how when it comes to protecting the most vulnerable among us, we must act now. for grace. >> they announced kids brought in to sell it. >> the use of the children in the audience as he was making announcement on gun control i find particularly inappropriate.

the president did end run around congress including ordering the centers for disease control to study gun violence and he urged congress to pass legislation to institute universal background checks a new been a on the military assault weapons and ten-round limit on magazine clips. >> they will public warn of tyrannical all-out assault on liberty. not because that's true. they want to gin up fear. >> national rifle association whose member has grown since newtown released ad dragging president's daughters in the debate. >> why is he speckbe tackle of armed guards in school when his kids are protected by armed guards at their school. >> jay carney denounced it saying most americans agree a president's children should not be used as pawns in a political fight. although the president was willing to bring other kids

in. >> in the let they're julia wrote me, she said i know that laws have to be passed by congress, but i beg you to try very hard. julia, i will try very hard. >> especially for democrats that remember the beating they took in the 1994 midterms after then president clinton passed gun control. now thousands line up at gun show from ohio,be nevada,be home state of harry reid who today called the president's plan thoughtful but did not commit to acting on it. >> a spokesman putting out tepid statement saying they will review the recommendations from the president. they have a major showdown on his hands. >> bret: suicide bombers blew up the vehicle today in

three expleasure in syrian city and 22 people were killed there. they forced them to find makeshift shelter in the caves and ruins. tonight we get a first look at someone who may have been behind last september's deadly assault on a u.s. diplomatic outpost in libya. chief intelligence correspondent catherine herridge shows us the pictures and a story of an investigation that does not appear to be going anywhere. >> these images with extremist group and long-standing ties to al-qaeda showed one of the key suspect in the 9/11 benghazi terrorist attack. after tunisian authority cited lack of evidence. >> a lot of groups are embolden after benghazi and series of misstep by the american government trying to investigate what happened in benghazi. >> detained by the turkish authorities in october after

he was linked to the consulate attack through the social media posting. then lindsey graham intervened as he explained on the program. >> i can only imagine what would have happened if the president of the united states picked the phone an called the prime minister and said this is a priority for our country. >> do you think the administration, the national security effort of the administration is really going after those responsible for the benghazi libya attack? >> they seem to be more focused to get the enside behind them. >> this is the first time they used social media to write about the benghazi suspect. after he was interviewed, they posted pictures purportedly showing the three f.b.i. agents involved. >> it was meant to show they cannot operate with total

immunity. >> and second suspect detained by the egyptian authorities, head of the house intelligent committee briefed on the case said the f.b.i. agents are not getting enough support for their investigation. >> not going well. it's slow. it is, we are not getting great cooperation from governments that should be cooperating. number two. it's not the athat exthey should give it to get to the bottom of it. >> sources familiar with the investigation tells fox news the f.b.i. was not told in advance that he was released by the court. f.b.i. headquarters in washington declined to comment. separately fox news was told that the f.b.i. agents got useful information when they questioned him but there was not enough to rule in or out of the benghazi attack. >> bret: leading up to secretary clinton testifying january 23. >> less than a week and promised they would bring to justice those responsible for the attack. only know of one person

remaining in custody. >> thank you. >> the white house is making it tougher for your voice to be heard. later in the grape grape. up next, are the president and congress above the law? from jammin' jerk chicken, to creamy gouda bisque. see what's new from campbell's. it's amazing what soup can do. diarrhea, gas, bloating? yes! one phillips' colon health probiotic cap each day helps defend against these digestive issues with three strains of good bacteria. live the regular life. phillips'.

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>> the body that passed the budget act isn't complying with it either. since the late 1990s, congress has changed to meet the obligation to produce the budget. they have it cobbleed together in repeated moment of crisis. they have passed the budget in

recent years it has been nearly four years since the senate did. >> congress shall complete budget, it says shall. that is budget speak to say not that you may do this or do it if you want to. it says you have to do this. >> what punishment await the law-breaking lawmakers? >> nothing. >> they are taking heat over the prosecutorial directive issued through the homeland security department, instructing the law enforcement officers not to change deportation proceeding against the illegal immigrants they do not view as high priority offenders. they are suing janet napolitano to say they are commanded to violate the oath to uphold and support federal law. they are adding they are

violating the obligation to faithfully execute the law required by the united states constitution. >> they are taking prosecutorial discretion and expanding it globally. they are version and impersonation that is unknown in the nation history. >> to pass the dually passed law of congress, eric holder announced in 2011 it would no longer support the legal fight to is up hold the defense of marriage act. >> the bipartisan legally advisory group in the house taken that up to defend doma.

>> last knight they approved the relief for hurricane sandy victims. and house democrats want to get rid of the federal debt ceiling. they are pushing legislation to repeal the limit accusing the republicans of using it to blackmail the country. the treasury officials say they will run out of borrowing power as soon as mid-february. each day that passes brings us closer to massive automatic spending cuts to dramatically affect the u.s. military and defense industry. tonight, jonathan serrie reports on the damage done to north carolina. >> fact. miles from fort bragg, k-2 solutions train dog for police and military use. but the status of new defense

contracts is unclear for this company that employs 274. >> in the past seven months we submitted eight proposals, two have been canceled and the other ones are in limbo for up to eight months. >> the problem is sequestration. they have not the uncertainty. >> this compounded the problem. right now, nobody is moving forward on any projects. it has created a stand-still. >> ceo of our row rora marketing -- aurora with facial recognition technology. >> it used to be working with the federal government was solid work. now we got turned down for funding twice. they said working for the federal government was unstable. >> some companies survive marketing the services to wide

range of civilian leads. >> they train them to find any object to any type of environment. >> on tractors -- contractors are bracing for the worst place scenarios. >> they could start fresh. now it's two more months and they wonder how they will survive and be impacted. >> the threat of spending cut has immediate impact. jonathan serrie, fox news. >> bret: look at the markets, the dow brokebe a five-day winning streak. still ahead, does slaughtering people in cyber space lead to the real thing in real life? why not enough water in lake michigan means higher prices for you an your family. ford c-max hybrid.

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>> bret: a fox news alert. moments ago, the federal aviation administration, faa grounded all boeing 787 airplanes. they said the operators must firm demonstrate the batteries are safe. the new aircraft has been plagued by a series of problems, including battery fire and fuel leak. earlier ted, japan biggest airline grounded their passenger jets after one was forced to make emergency landing. the 787 is the newest and most technologically advanced jet. many analysts said heading in today they are normal, so-called teething issues that hit every new plane.

nobody has been hurt or killed. 2019 was the savest ever for aviation worldwide. there hasn't been a single fatality in the u.s. in four years. breaking news, the faa is grounding all 787s. this is a big news event. especially for boeing who took a hit on the market ahead of the news. faa grounding all 787s. we'll see how it plays out tomorrow. especially in a place like seattle. home to boeing. there is not enough water in lake michigan to fully support the shipping industry. low water levels lead to high anxiety in the midwest. the prospect of much more expensive shipping cost that you will ultimately pay for. correspondent steve brown has the story from chicago. >> the great lakes are less great, according to the data from the army corps of engineers.

>> it does still show below average water levels across the board on all the great lakes. >> second consecutive low snow winter bookending a dry summer pushed the great lakes water levels lower. worst hit is michigan. the water levels fell five feet at historic low levels now. to avoid scraping bottom going in and out of harbor, ships like this are carrying the lighter loads. in this case, iron ore. >> we lost 18,000 tons of iron ore. that could have been turned in to steel to make 15,000 automobiles and kept an auto plant going for 25 days. >> instead, it will take more trips for ships to make usual deliveries. >> a lot of manufacturers with the shipments. you could see 10, 2025,% increase in shipping cost. a direct impact there.

>> it's the same story for farmers trying to get grain to buyers. higher shipping cost. higher prices at the grocery check-out. and ditto for gasoline. if you are wondering what can be done with the shallower great lakes -- >> it has a lot to do with what mother nature gives us, snowfall, rainfall and evaporation. combination of those variabl variables. >> the shippers pay a tax to the lar boar maintenance fee for such work. in recent years the senators on both sides of the aisle, including carl levin of michiganbe complain the fund has been raided for other federal spending. >> steve brown on the banks of lake michigan. thank you. >> interior secretary ken salazzar the latest official to head out the door. they say he will leave in march. he joins the secretary of state, treasury, defense, labor and the epa chief in

announcing their departures. more than 8,000 new york city school bus drivers on strike tonight. many students disabled had to find other ways to school this morning. job protection is the hang up. they put a contract with the private bus up for bid. it just got tougher to have your voice heard by the white house. taking gun control at schools for what you might consider a ridiculous extreme. grapevine explains next.

>> bret: the white house quadrupleed the threshold on the signatures for the lead the people petition site. the new minimum, 100,000 signatures in 30 days. that is up from 25,000 which was increase over the original 5,000 signatures. some popular ones state secessions like texas. and a plan to build a star wars death star, which the white house says would cost 850 quadrillion dollars. they report 2.5 million people join the system in the last two months of the year. started 73,000 petitions. registered nearly 5 million signatures.

the tags were produced and then removed the following year when president bush took office. they have lived in the hat-trick four years and seen how unfair it is for the working families to work hard, raise children and pay taxes without a vote in congress. unyear if it will result in policy initiatives. what was child's play for two 6-year-old boys apparently looked like a serious threat at a maryland school. the local media reports they were furious when the children were suspended for making imaginary guns with their fingers in recess. another child suspended this month to pretend to fire

imaginary gun more than once. the school reversed its decision. the flu epidemic resulted in a game change. the manhattan soccer club has banned high-fiving and hand shaking at all youth soccer games. after governor andrew cuomo declared public health emergency. the club suggests instead of shaking hands or high-fiving, they touch elbows. we told you earlier president obama outlined the vision today for combating gun violence. among other things he is calling for research in the effects violent video game have on the people who play them. but chief washington correspondent james rosen reports, that action appeared to be the only one on the list when it came to gaming for hollywood.

tatics aim at the nra wayne lapierre but the outcome is so gory we are not showing it to you. considering how violence can be. >> i will ask them to study best ways to reduce it. congress should fund research in the effects of the violent video game have on young minds. >> that was the president's only proposal to check the bloody onslaught that comes year in and year out from hollywood and gaming industry. >> we were told we'd have a grand national dialogue about the roots of violence in the society. it looks like the entertainment industry is getting off flight. most of the people are huge backers politically. it would be very much within his bailiwick to call on them be responsible with the material they produce and distribute. he failed to do that. >> we agree that the entertainment and video game industries have responsibility to give parents tools and choices.

they added -- >> quentin tarantino said shakespeare faced similar criticism. one of the lowly conservatives in tinseltown says the fault are not lying with the stars. >> if we don't buy tickets for movies or the video games for the children they won't make them. it's as simple as that. >> the motion picture association of america led by the former democraticbe senator chris dodd said in a statement released jointly with broadcasting and cable groups they welcome "further academicbe examination" of what the groups call complex problem. bret? >> james, thank you. >> the president urge what is he calls the common sense moves to combat gun violence. we'll get reaction from the

fox all-stars when we come back. [ truck beeping ]

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♪ ♪ >> it's time for congress to require a universal background check for anyone trying to buy a gun. congress should restore a ban on military style assault weapons and a ten-round limit for magazines. we'll need voices in the area and congressional districts where the tradition of gun ownership is strong to speak up. to say this is important. it can't just be the usual suspects. >> president obama called for congressional action. and assault weapons ban as well as a ban of high capacity magazines. with more than ten rounds. he signed this. 3 executive actions ranging from ordering the federal agencies to make more data available for background checks to demanding more research on gun violence.

this is the list of all of them. there some on mental health and call to review things and launching programs. but as far as doing concrete things about guns,be they don't do a lot in the executive actions. the sweeping action he is calling for is congressional action. let's bring in the panel. steve hayes for "weekly standard." juan williams columnist for the hill. and syndicated columnist charles krauthammer. you looked at the 23 executive actions. what are you saying he is going to push for in congress? what is the reality and what are you thinking of his action today? this is action that wouldn't have an immediate long-term far reaching impact. >> they enforce existing law.

>> right. >> things we talk about the panel before. >> on the legislative side we heard the president say we need people speaking in out the areas traditionally pro-gun. he needs to say that. because i would say the legislative package he is talking about, and it's unclear whether they do it all at once or try to break it up. that depends on how it moves through congress. it's not likely to succeed. he is not likely to get the big measures through the assault weapons ban. you heard the reservation about harry reid. it's difficult to get it through the house of representatives. magazine clip size is already meeting resistance. they could expand background checks. but a new senator said she

didn't agree with the policy. >> this is not discussed in the media. the reason they face problems is the democrats. he is going to push them with the arm twisting and favors and other things to encourage them to support him. that is the problem. the democrats are split. >> bret: remember when president george w. bush won re-election and he went to a news conference and he was going to expand capital to get social security reform through. he wants gun control through. can he do that much like president george w. bush promised to do with social

security? president bush didn't. he ran in a brick wall. >> he said that he had political capital in the aftermath of this. there were discussions about the fiscal cliff. believing that they cited with him and not republican. this is imposed on him. this is because of the inaction with gun control after gabrielle giffords, the congressman from arizona was shot. now, i'm glad that you put hit the way, you will see the outside forces engaged in a political campaign. there are polls today that there has been a shift and there are more americans that are open to the idea. even people who are gun owner

owners. they come back for the background checks. the idea that anybody gets a gun should be educated on how to use the gun. closing the gun show loophole. these are things that especially people in the nra are willing to discuss. some might have political future but republicans stop this. >> they turn against the gun control in '790s and slaughtered in the mid-term election in '94. he said i won't present anything to the senate that won't pass the house. i don't want to force the democrats from the red state osposing the legislation to make a suicidal vote in

support of this. there was a genuine response to the massacre in newtown that moved him but the problem is he doesn't know what to do. no one knows what to do. the thing he signed today the executive orders are useless. it's the appearance of motion. it's sincere and he wants to do a little at the edges. the research here. he is saying that the items are the ban on assault weapons and the magazines and the idea of having background checks. they are not going to pass.

the country isn't ready to do anything near that. >> bret: nra released ad online. that raised eyebrows. >> are the president's kids more important than yours? why is he spectacle about putting armed dirt in schools. when his kids are protected by armed guards at their school. mr. obama demand the wealthy pay their fair share of taxes but just another elitist hypocrite when it comes to a fair share of security. protection for their kids and gun-free zones for ours. >> white house was quick to respond. jay carney saying, "most americans agree that the president children should not be used as pawns in a political fight. but to go so far to make the safety of the president children the subject of the attack ad is repug nant and cowardly." down the row quickly.

>> even if you believe it's hypocritical as i to and substantive argument that they are making it doesn't make sense to make the president of the united states sympathetic that many americans identify with him as a father. >> it's a vile ad. every president's children are protected. i don't know why you highlight two kids that are vulnerable who go to school in this day. >> as usual, unsubtle. the president's kids are targets and they need special protection. to compare them with kids anywhere else is ridiculous logically. the way it's done with the anger and the accusation of hypocrisy is designed to turn people off and i think it does. >> can i say quickly it was also inappropriate for the president to use children at his press conference in the manner he did to sell gun control.

it was inappropriate and exploytive. >> bret: next up, western intervention in africa could have led to american hostages in algeria. that situation is developing at this hour.

>> bret: an attack today on national gas complex by b.p. in algeria. they attacked the complex today killing two. dozens of foreigners kidnapped, among them at least three americans. we are told this is a big operation. this is still on going at the time. we have the house intelligence committee chairman, look at

facility now, surrounded by the local a veerian military we're told. chairman of the house intelligence committee said the kidnapping of the americans and westerners in algeria, brazenly raises the stakes in volatile region. the obama administration needs clear and focused policy to eliminate the threat that thety verse al-qaeda affiliateed groups pose to united states and americans working abroad off of the usual battlefields. additionally this administration needs to better understand the specific threats posed by aqim. and other al-qaeda affiliated groups. they will only pose increased threat in the future as they have in benghazi. now a veeria and mali.

this group was retaliating because they let them use air space to attack the islamic terrorists. >> it shows how the reason become no man land dominated by the islamists. >> this is an outlier. the same affiliated groups. and the groups in the regionbe saw that complete lack of response in seriousness by the united states about the benghazi attack and the leading suspect in the attack. goingbe openly in the streets of benghazi. they see that the world had not responded when they took over half a country in mali, not like afghanistan at the end of the world. in the heart of the west essentially. we are organizing group of

excolonies to send troops that would not alive until the fall. the french sparked the response from aqim. they want to see what the west will do. i suspect the west will not do a lot. >> the west should do a lot. this is the standard terrorist attacktivity in the world. are people willing to take action? a complicating factor today is the state department says to the military that there are rules against you going in. this is opening door to extremist activity. the state department does not want military intervention. i don't think the military wants direct intervention. but they wantbe to help the

french. we are moving in the direction that says this is time. no question. these are bad people. >> bret: steve, to charles' point about not getting to the bottom of benghazi and going after those terrorists, who killed the u.s. ambassador there, and seeing that tunisia let go, do you agree it sends a message? >> no question. this is not just benghazi. remember, on september 11, the days immediately following we had attacks on the u.s. facilities throughout the region. we have had attacks on the embassy in tunisia. on september 14. you had the flag flying in egypt. you had all of the attacks on u.s. interest throughout the region with basically no response from the u.s. government. i don't think there is any question that they are emboldened. the key thing to remember here. we talk about this last night. the groups have been growing in strength over the past several years.

this is not the first person to do it. the commander in july said, "the u.s. government missed an opportunity to deal with al-qaeda in the aqim when they had a chance." that devastating indictment from the administration. >> bret: we will hear more about the policy arguments ahead of secretarybe clinton testifying january 23 about benghazi, too. that is it for the panel. but stay tuned to see a video that may be too close for comfort. living with moderate to severe rheumatoid arthritis

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